Angle cock



- June 19,- 1929. 1,159,951.

El P. CLAUSS ANGLE COCK Filed May '7, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l am n/45a A95/vaas@ fu/@11% I 1% By afs/1% L June 119, M923. SQSLL E. P. CLAUSS ANGLE COCK Filed May 7, 1921 2 sheets-sheet 2 W/ TIVESSES Patented lune i9, i923.

risata y earner EDWARD r. ern/wss, or rYon's, new YORK.

ANGLE COCK.

To ZZ 107mm z'J/ may concern.'

Be it known that, l, lilnumno l?, Creuse, a citizen ot' the United States, and a resident el Lyons, in the coi'inty et Wayne and State et New York, have invented a new and lmproved Angle Cock, et which the following;a is a tall, clear. and exact description. i

This invention relates to air brake systems for trains and particularly to an angle cock and associated parts and has tor an object to provide an iniproved construction wherein the angle cock cannot be closed or shut oli' until the brakes havebeen applied.

Another object oiil the invention iste provide an arran,V unent whereby a setting' lever must be operated betere the angle cock .can be shut ofi', the arrangement being such that the setting' lever is placed 'troni the angle cock at such a distance that an operator cannot touch the .f-settinlo,` lever and anglejcock at the saine time. i

"A 'tlnther object of the invention is to provide an angle cock structure and nica-ns associateil therewith whereby aliter the angle cock has been operatedv the line in back thereo l will Ihe bled 'Freely and the various parts` except `open.

ln the accompaiiying drawings-y Figure i is a side View et an angle cock and associated parts disclosing one embodiment of the invention. c

F ig'ure 2 is a fragmentary sectional View through Figure 1 on line 2 2.

Figure 8 isa sectional view through Figure 1 on line 3 3. y

Figure 4 is a sectional viewthrougrh Figure 3 on liners-4. I i

Figure 5 is a fragmentary. sectional view through Figure 1 online 5 5.

Figure 6 is a `tragfmentary horizontal sectional view. through Figure 1 on line 6 6.

Figure 7 Vis a Vertical sectional View through Figure 6 on line 7 7.

Figure Sis a fragmentary sectional View through Figure 3 on line 8 8,

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional `View through Figure 3 on line 9 9.,

Application filed May 7', 1921. Serial No. 467,533.

`Figure 10 is a `tragmentary sectional View through Figure e on line 10 10.

F ig'ure 11 is a View similar to F igure 10 but showing` the parts in a dilierent position.

Figure 12 is aside elevation of the Valve plug' shown in Figure 3.

Figurel yis a diagrammatic View showingv the position or' the plug and associated rparts when the cock `fully open.

Figure 1li is a lView similar to Figure 18` but showing; the cock on the point of eompletely closing'. i,

.Figure 15 is a View similar to Figure 13 but showing the valve completely closed.

lllio'ure 16 is a fragmentary view with certain parts broken `away illustratinghow the construction shown vin Figure 1 may be applied to atreight ear.

In the ordinary brake system` now in common use on the railroads, an angle cock is `used at each end ot each car and suitable piping" and other attachments are associated therewith including ank engineers valve` found that careless persons will fail to properly operate the angle cocks and in some instances iuniuthorized persons will turn the y angle cocks while a train is in motion with a View oi applying the` brakes and stopping' the train so as to `easily dismount from the train atsoine desired point. `This action has `in some instances resulted in the wreckingV ot atrain as it took control 'of the brakes from the engineer. l

ln the present instance it .is aimed to provide a construction which will automatically apply the brakes in case any angle cock is open so that whencontrol is taken from the engineer the very action et taking the control from him ywill result in applying the brakes inthe saine manneras if he had applied the. same. However, in order to prevent even the application of the brakes by an unauthorized person, a special construction has been provided as shown in Figure 1 which will require the operator of the angle cock to stand. on the ,ground a short distance JEromthe angrle cock and operate acontrol 1lever before the angle cock can be operated,

ing a connecting hose 3 of any usual or preferred structure. The general structure of the angle cock 2 is the same as now in common use and, therefore, will not be described in detail but only the modified portion thereof. The plug 4 of the cock 2 is provided with a tubular member 5 forming a passage-way from one side of the plug to the other, said pipe carrying a valve member 6 whereby either end of the' pipe may be closed according to the pressure on the opposite sides of the ball, A number of apertures 7 are arranged in pipe 5 so that air entering either end of the pipe may escape into the plug 4 and thence out suitable bleedingopenings. rihis arrangement permits the bleeding of the entire brake system as soon as the control is taken from the engineer or until the angle cock has been completely closed. As the plug moves from the position shown in Fig: ure 10, it gradually assumes the position shown in Figures 11 and 14 and finally assumes the position shown in Figure 15. 'After it reaches the position shown in Figure 15, a by-pass 3 exhausts through the opening 9 as fully described in my co-pending application above referred to while the forward sect-ion of the system gradually bleeds through the pipe or tube 5 and out the aperture 10. The air passingin this direction enters the pipe 11 which is connected with a cylinder 12 and discharges into theopening 13 between the pistonsill and 15 whereby it may freely pass out the discharge pipe 16 when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 5. 1n this way both the front and rear portions of the sysvtem will be bled.

4ln order to lock the cock against closing except under proper circumstances, the handle 17 is prevented movement in one di'- rection by the lug 18 thereon striking the lug 19 on the casing of the cock while the shoulder 2O engages a locking plate 21 and prevents movement in the opposite direction. It will be understood that t-he handle 17 is permanently secured to the end-of the plug 4 by any suitable means, as for instance,

ya rivet. As indicated in Figures 1 and 2,

the handle 17 is provided withan annular flange 22 which is formed with a notch 23 whereby the shoulder 2O may be readily pre-v sented to the lock plate 21. A spring 24 engages the casing 25 and the plate 21 for normally holding the plate in a lowered and locked position. The casing 25 may be connected with the cock 2 in any desired manner and is intended to cover the plate 21 so that access cannot be secured thereto by an unauthorized person or even by an authorized person without breaking some of the parts or disconnecting the entire structure. The arrangement of the iiange 22 and the notch 23 is such that when the plate 21 is raised above the flange 22, handle 17 may be yrotated and when moved around to a closed position, the plate 21 will rest on the upper surface thereof and will merely slide thereover when the handle is moved back but will automatically snap into the notch 23 when the cock is again fully opened.

The plate 23 is suitably pivotally mounted at 26 and is acted upon by a plunger 27,v which plunger is in fact the pist-on rod connected with the piston 14 (Fig. 5). A spring 23 acts against Aone end of the cylinder 12 and at the other end acts against the piston 14 for normally holding the piston in a lowered position as shown in Figures 1 and 5. When aressure is brought to bear on the lower surface of piston 15, which is connected to piston 14 by a connecting section 29, said piston 14 and plunger 27 will be quickly raised and will in turn raise the plate 21 out of engagement with the shoulder 20. l/ilhen this has been done the handle 1 may be rotated approximately 90O for fully turning off the cock. When the cock is thus fully turned olf, the air brake system to the rear of the cock bleeds through the aperture 9 by reason of the passage-way 8`while the system in front attempts to bleed through passage-way 10 and pipe 11 but at this time the piston 15 is covering a port or opening between the cylinder 12 and the pipe 11 so that no air can escape therethrough.- 1n order to provide a supply of compressed air to the lower surface of piston 15 in order to perform the operations above described, the bottom of the cylinder 12 has pipe 30 secured thereto which pipe extends a suitable disv tance to the control member 31. This control member is formed with a cylindrical body 32 having a pipe 33 connected with o-ne end thereof, said pipe in turn being connected to the engineers brake system 34. As is well known, when the engineer desires to apply the brakes, air is bled by the engineer from the train line and stored air from the auxiliary reservoir of each car passes into the end of the brake cylinder 34 for applying the brakes. When this has occurred, pipe 33 will be supplied with compressed air and, consequently, the compressed air will act on the piston 35 (Fig. 6) and give the same a tendency to move against the action of spring 36. A hand operated lll() raised sufficiently to disengageplate 21l from the flange 22.

lever 37 is pivotallymounted,` at and isV normally :in front of the piston rod 39 `Which bears against lever 37. The piston 35 .does

inot move unless someone raises lever 37 pivotally until itv slipsoflof the rod 32 whereupon rod 39 kWill be projected `through the opening 40 and the piston 35 will move `away from the point Where the pipe 30 enters the casing` k32 whereupon air Will pass through said pipe BOiand act on the piston l5 for raising the same until the end of pipe 11 has been covered and plunger 27 has been Pins 41fand limit the pivotal movement of lever 37 whereby when the` pressurev in,` the train line pipes 1 is restored and the brake cylinders `34eXhausted, piston 85 `Will `automatically `move back tothe position shown in Figure 6 andlever BTWillautomatically drop down in `front of the piston rod 39 so as to hold the parts against movement `until lever 37'has' been againmanually i actuated. Afterthe plate 21 hasbeen raised, lever 17 may be quickly'shiftedto close the cock 2 and by reason `of the` position of the lpiston 15 the airsystem in front of the cock `which has beenk operated Will `not be exl'iausted or bled while the system in therear thereof will be bled through opening 9. As the device can be only operated when the brakes are already applied, the bleeding through aperture 9 will be comparatively small. In` case the cock 2 is left closed and the rear car is removed, a dummy coupler is applied to cock 2 vand then the cocklopened. This will prevent any bleeding through the pipe 11 and associated parts. The `lever 37 is positioned a suflicient distance from the handle 17 to prevent the operator fron yoperating` both of these members at the same time. Preferably, lever 37 is arranged an appreciable distance away from` the p cock 2 so that the 'trainman must be on the ground in order to operatethis handle. This Will positively prevent any persons from shutting off the cock 2 when the train is inmotion and also prevent anyone from operating the cock from the platform of the/car.

In Figure 16 will be seen a modified form of the invention which is particularly adapted for freight cars though the `structure shown in Figure 1 could be used if desired.`

Izloivever. in long freight trains it requires considerable time to apply the brakes and also considerable time to release the brakes so that for many reasons it is desirable to have an arrangement'ivhereby anyy car or number of cars may be cut off Without applyine the brakes to the entire train. In

carrying out this idea, a comparatively small reservoir 43 is connected to the main train line 1 by 'means of a` pipe and valve 44, said valve beine' of a spring; type which will automatically close when released but vwhich `may be manuallypoperated and held open "for any@ desired length of time. The reservoir 43 is provided with. a "small vent 45 and is connected to pipe 46 to thebottom ofthe cylinder 12, Whichcylinder and associated parts are identical with the construction shown in Figure lk so that they will need no further description."` The valve 44 could be connected to an auxiliary reservoir or to any suitable air supply as the function for the reservoir 43 is merely to provide air for releasing purposes.` i

In usingthis form of the invention, it is intended to have the trainman turn on valve 44 and hold the same open until reservoir 43` has been provided with the pressure desired `Which Will y automatically act. to raise the piston 15 `and associated parts includhing` the plunger 27Wliereupon the lock- *ing plate 21 isreleased and `the cockisin condition to be `turnedto a closed position.

The ventv45 is very small and, consequently,

air can be supplied to the reservoir 43 in suflicicnt volume to provideample pressure for'factuating the piston 15 for a sutlieient `time to allow, the trainman to turn off the cock before the pressure inreservoir 43jhas "been reduced to a loiv pressure. Eventually, fthe vent 45 will permitthe pressure to `be `reduced to atmospheric pressure.

A reservoir 43` is` arranged'at each end of the freight cars andavhen it is desired to cut out one or more 0f the cars, yone `of the `trainmen will temporarily hold open the valve 44 and will. then release said `valve `and step over and shut off the angle cock which Will p insure a sufficient pressure for holding' the` piston 15 elevated. After this has been done, `the trainman pays no more attention to the reservoir 4? ivhich will automatically `be jvented bythe vent opening `releasing said locking plate.

3. In anair brake system for trains an angle cock provided with a member for turnl ing` the same on and 0H, said member being formed With a shoulder, a locking plate adapted to engage said shoulder and prevent the angle cock from being closed, a movable member for shifting: said locking plate to a position out of engagement With said shoulder, pneumatically actuated means .for actuating said movable member and a manually actuated lever for controlling said pneumaticmeanst 4L. ln an air brake system for cars an angle cock provided with means 'for actuating the same, said means being; foi-ined with a shoulder, a pivotally mounted stop adapted to be brought into engagement with said shoulder for preventing the movement of tlie cock to a] closed position, a spring normally holding said stop in position to interlock with said shoulder, a reciprocatingplunger for moving` said stop out of engagement with said shoulder and manually controlled pneumatic means for moving said reciprocating member.

5. ln an air brake system for cars an angle cock, a handle for operating the anple cock,

said handle being' formed with a shoulder, a locking member engaging said shoulder for locking the cock open, pneumatic. means ior actuatin' said sto and movin@r the same to a tu n position out of engagement'with said shoulder, said pneumatic means being` connected with the brake cylinder of the cai', and manually actuated means for causing,` the pneumaticv means Vto function.

6. In an air brake system for cars, an angle cock ot the usual construction provided with an operating handle Jor opening and closing' said cock, said handle having a stop,4

passing from said brake cylinder to the first.

mentioned cylinder.

7. In an air brake system for cars, an an- .iile cock, means for locking; the angle cock against closing);7 a reciprocating member toi' moving; said means to an unlocked position.,

a piston connected with said reciprocating;- member, a cylinder surrounding said piston,

tubular'means connecting said cylinder with the brake cylinder of said car and manually actuated means 'acting as a valve mechanism controlling the passageotl air :trom the brake cylinder t@ the nrst mentioned cylinder,

'whereby said cock may be unlocked only when the brakes are applied.

8. ln an air brakesysteml for cars, an angle cock, means for locking` theangle cock against closing, said means comprising a vpivotally mounted plate, a casing enclosing said plate and part ot the angle cock so that no one can interfere with the action of said slate, pneumatically actuated means actuated with tliebra'ke system of sai'dcar 'for shifting said plate to an unlocked position and manually actuated member tor controlling the air Afrom said brake cylinder.

9. ln an air brake system Vtor-cars, an angie cock, means for locking the angle cock closed, said means including' a movable lockl inp,` member, pneumatic means for shifting said movable locking member to an unlocked position, said pneumatic means beingV connected with the brake cylinder of said car Y and manually controlled mechanism, controlling the passage of air from said brake cylinder, said mechanism comprising a tubular member connected at one end with the i, pneumatic actuating means, a piston in the tubular member normally closing' said tubular member, a spring' ,acting as a piston for normally holding` the same in a `@given posi- `fion and a manually actuated lever for holding,` said piston in a given position whereby air cannot enter 'the pneumatically actuated mean said lever beine; movable manuallyl to the position out of the way of said piston whereby the air vfrom saidfbrake cylinder will move the piston against the action of said sprinp; and will then pass to -said pneumatically actuated. means for actuating the Sl'm.

EDWARD i?. oLAUss. 

